For more than 140 years, Gretsch has built a legacy that players have come to know as That Great Gretsch Sound. From jazz pioneers like Art Blakey and Elvin Jones to rock legends like Charlie Watts, Matt Sorum and Phil Collins, drummers have long gravitated toward the brand for its expressive character, musical resonance, and ability to deliver a distinctive voice across genres. Combined with classic finishes, thoughtful construction, and an unmistakable visual identity, these qualities have made Gretsch drums a fixture in studios and on stages around the world.
Through changing musical styles and generations of players, Gretsch has continued to honor its heritage while exploring new possibilities in drum design. The result is a brand that balances tradition with innovation, remaining relevant to musicians who value both the feel of a great instrument and the freedom to find their own sound.
Now, Gretsch is bringing that legacy into a new chapter with Catalina EVO, a hybrid electronic drum series designed to combine authentic Gretsch aesthetic and tones with a natural, responsive playing experience and versatile modern features.
The first thing that struck me about Catalina EVO was how expressively the kits play. It seems to be a tricky thing to design digital drums to respond smoothly to dynamic playing changes, but Gretsch has found the magic. While I find many modern kits to play with a degree of sterility, simply building from a soft to hard roll on the Catalina EVO snare drum feels and sounds remarkably natural, giving a great insight to the care Gretsch placed on nailing the finer details while developing their first electronic kit.
Gretsch has crafted Catalina EVO's authentic acoustic drum experience through a combination of innovative ingredients. On the physical side, the Catalina EVO kits feature full-size drum shells with three-ply mesh heads that react more like an acoustic head than most mesh designs. The drums feature three-sensor trigger technology that helps capture playing nuances, while chokable, three-zone cymbals with 360-degree triggering support expressive performance across the playing surface. Together, these elements offer you greater control over playing dynamics and articulation.
But such great physical construction won't translate without an equally particular approach to sound design, and once again Gretsch draws on their heritage and innovative experience to develop modern technology while creating a classic drum experience.
At the heart of Catalina EVO is a collection of 50 preset kits, including high-resolution samples captured from carefully selected Gretsch models. The collection spans modern and vintage instruments, giving players access to a range of distinctive sounds through a single setup.
These aren't simply static recordings triggered each time a pad is struck. Extensive dynamic layers, selectable microphone perspectives, and round-robin sampling work together to create a more organic and expressive playing experience. The result is a system designed to respond naturally to different playing intensities and articulations, helping preserve the nuance that makes a great acoustic drum sound musical.
I've never been a fan of large and clunky sound modules, so I was intrigued by EVO's subtle module design. While a surprising amount of editing features can be accessed in the module, its stylish layout allows you to keep focused on playing without getting lost in its menus. But that doesn't mean that deep editing control is out of reach. For players who want even more control over their setup, the Gretsch E-Drum Remote app provides a deeper editing environment through a Bluetooth connection.
Available for most phone and tablet operating systems, the app not only allows players access to firmware updates and built-in practice tools, but a world of editing capabilities, including: creating and storing up to 128 user kits, microphone type and placement, dynamic sensitivity, effects, and equalization. The app can receive and display PDF files for notation, as well as import and manipulate the speed of songs for playalong.
Electronic drums offer considerable advantages for practice and recording, but connectivity becomes especially important when a kit needs to integrate with other instruments, recording equipment, or a live sound system.
Catalina EVO offers a flexible range of connections designed to accommodate different playing environments. Two master outputs provide a straightforward connection to amplification or other audio equipment, while four direct outputs offer additional routing flexibility for setups that benefit from separate audio signals. Individual trigger inputs provide room to expand the setup, and both Bluetooth and USB support audio and MIDI connectivity.
Catalina EVO isn't just Gretsch's first step towards offering "That Great Gretsch Sound" to players of electronic drums, it's a step forward in the evolution of the electronic drum industry. Catalina EVO includes all shown hardware except for the throne, and is available in 4- and 5-piece configurations, each offered in iconic Gretsch Walnut Glaze or striking Black Sparkle finishes.
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